Sin Fronteras Spring 2017 Sin Fronteras Spring 2017 | Page 18

Red Wings
Jorge Ojeda

Tampering with life, changing it, twisting it, to suit someone’s needs. Everybody
hates it, right? The cruel outcomes impact our world forever. But what if that same
twistedness came from nature itself? Life has always strived to change. What if
beauty brings... fear?

“Fact number seventy-eight: Some animals have the ability to induce
psychedelic effects (hallucinations, loss of self, distortion of memory). Fact
number seventy-nine: Mysterious incidents keep occurring around the world.
Paranormal activity is being considered.” Huh, this facts magazine has some
interesting data. I lowered it and stared out the window when something
caught my attention. I pushed open the window to make way for the little fella
headed in my direction. A red Monarch butterfly, I had never seen one before.
I extended my finger to try to touch it. I, of course, never expected to touch
it. They had always flown away whenever I had tried to touch them, a natural
instinct, or maybe just fear. The crimson-winged creature, to my surprise, landed
on the tip of my finger. The moment I felt six tiny spots on my finger I reached
for my phone. This would certainly make for a cool photo; but as I moved I felt a
piercing pain.

“Gaaah!” As soon as I screamed the butterfly flew into the sky. I twisted
my hand in pain. I didn’t know butterflies did that. After slamming the window,
I turned to my finger. A small red bump appeared beside my nail. It didn’t hurt
though.

“Food’s ready!” Someone yelled from below.

“Be down in a sec!” I rushed to the bathroom and soaked the bump with
cold water. I was sure it was not going to do anything to reduce the swelling, but
psychologically, it was comforting. I stared at the little ball covered under the
flow of water. The coldness helped the pain subside, so I stood there, watched for
a while, completely static. The quick flow of the water and the drops splashing
near the drain reminded me of a waterfall. The cold felt nice, until it didn’t. A
pain like a thousand needles covered the surface where the water had touched
my finger, and below it, the water began turning red.

“What’s taking so long?” The voice was closer than before, near the stairs.
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I turned towards the door.

“Sorry, just washing my hands!” I looked at the sink again, expecting to
see the red disaster. To my surprise the water was clean, and so was the sink.
As if nothing had happened. I looked at the bump. But it was gone.

“That was certainly weird.” I placed the thoughts of the bump and blood
off to the side and walked towards the hallway. When I closed the door behind
me the hallway seemed darker, and a cold breeze surrounded my body. Weird
noises emanated from the walls, they were distorted, spiraling like a cyclone.

“Mom? Mom! I think there’s something wrong with me!” Silhouettes
seemed to be walking from the walls and approaching me, their intent clear,
to drag me into the wall. Faces and arms. I rushed down the hall but tripped.
It felt like something had grabbed me by the ankle.

“You’re not getting me,” I thought, and kicked backwards. I expected to
feel something… but it was all empty space. I gasped for air.

“This is definitely not right.” I looked down at my ankle. No marks of
any kind. Think logically. Hallucinations, sensations, things that are not real.
Psychedelic effects. It must be because… because… huh? I pressed both my
hand against my head. What was it? I was sure something had stung me. I
tried to recall the scene that had happened mere seconds ago, but I couldn’t,
it was blurry. Every time I dug deeper for it, more and more of it disappeared.
I stood up from the floor. Not good. Forgetting things. My first thought was
to tell mom and dad, take me to the doctor or crazy wizard to do… whatever
was needed. I went down the stairs. Everyone was already at the table.

My baby brother was seated beside dad, chirping at his food and
laughing.

“Didn’t you hear me call out?” I asked. Mom looked at me for a few
seconds before pulling out my chair.

“Nope. I just hear a thud, but you came down afterwards. What took you
so long?”

“I… I’m…” I had something to tell them, didn’t I? “Was finishing homework,
sorry.”

“It’s fine, but just sit down before the food gets cold.” She signaled me
with her hand to the chair in front, and I took seat. Something’s wrong here.
I looked down at the food. Chicken. Maybe I’m just hungry. With my fork, I
poked at the chicken, expecting something to happen, but nothing did.

“Maybe it’s just hunger.” I shoved a piece into my mouth.

“Can you pass me the salad?” asked mom. I took the blue bowl to my left
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